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Island of Lost Souls
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 5013929740082
Format: PAL
Languages: English (Original Language), Analog
Number Of Discs: 1
Theatrical Release Date: 1932-12
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Editorial Review:
When you've got Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi, how can you go wrong? Shipwreck victim Edward Parker (Richard Arlen) is stranded on an island run by the mysterious Dr. Moreau (Laughton). Moreau is hospitable enough, but the jungle is full of menacing shapes--and what about those ominous references to the House of Pain? Parker gradually learns of Moreau's unholy experiments and worries that he'll never escape. Though it has aged a bit, Island of Lost Souls is surprisingly spine-tingling, particularly the horrifying climax. Light and shadows are used especially well--occasionally, Moreau speaks with his face entirely hidden, except for his glittering eyes. Laughton turns in yet another superbly evil performance and even the somewhat worse-for-wear Lugosi is creepy as the pronouncer of the law. ("Are we not men?" Well, no, not exactly.) This is a nicely chilling classic that may even make you think twice about modern science's experimentation with genetics. Don't miss it. Remade as The Island of Dr. Moreau in 1977 and 1996. --Ali Davis
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - One of the very finest from the golden age.
This was released a year before the production code went into enforcement, and it shows! There are things and suggestions of things here that the filmmakers would never have gotten away with once the Breen Office began imposing its iron fist on Hollywood. H.G. Welles, who wrote the novel on which it was based, was reportedly disgusted by it, but this is still one of the very best fantasy pictures of the early sound era, easily standing alongside 'King Kong' and Whale's 'The Bride of Frankenstein' ... Read More
Rating: - COME ON UNIVERSAL!!!! RELEASE IT!!!!!!!!
Universal has now released almost ALL of its classic films on DVD, especially in the horror genre. Sadly though this is still to make an appearance despite numerous calls for it from dedicated fans. Was this dvd ever released? well Ive never seen a copy of this one shown on Amazon so we must have to presume it was either a very limited release by a non-universal label or that the release was cancelled.
Anyway, Universal has released it on videotape before so theres certainly source material ... Read More
Rating: - Please please please
These are two of the greatest classic horror movies, as good as anything Universal put out besides The Mummy and Bride of Frankenstein. Each of these has been copied many times in later years, and every copy has been a pale shadow of these brilliant originals. I'd love for them to get fancy releases with loads of special features, but failing that PLEASE somebody release this wonderful two-fer.
Rating: - are we not men?
worth the price for the the Lugosi scenes alone. Laughton makes for a great god-like sadist, ruling over his island with sadistic glee.
light and shadows blend to make for a creepy atmosphere. one of the great unsung non-Universal horrors of the thirties.
Rating:  - Still Fascinating With Its Foreboding Atmosphere
1933 saw the release of two seminal horror films based on H. G. Wells novels: one is `The Invisible Man' and the other is `Island of Lost Souls' based on Wells' `The Island of Dr. Moreau.' The latter was released from Paramount, the Hollywood studio better known for its entertaining films like Star Trek series today, but the central topic in `Lost Souls' is much darker and more disturbing than you expect even now.
Except for some minor points, the film is faithful to Well's original story, in ... Read More
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